Fjallraven Kanken

This backpack is FTW. It was originally designed in the 1970s for Swedish schoolkids. Now it comes in tons of colors, is super durable, and surprisingly fits LOTS of items! What I really love most is the simplistic design. I don’t need 10 pockets or mesh covers or keychain holders. Just lovely simplicity. Mine is “Uncle Blue” and Lisa has one in “Brick”. :D

You can get your own on the official website as well as Amazon.

Sorel Rain Boots

When Lisa visited me last year she had these boots with her and I LOVED them. I especially liked how they weren’t knee-high like normal rain boots and were cute enough that you can wear them like regular everyday shoes. They are waterproof and come with a loose fit so you can wear them with thick socks in the wintertime if you want. :D We both own pairs in “Dress Blue”.

They seem to be out of stock on the official website, but you can still find them on Amazon.

Leather Messenger

And for good measure, I will share one of MY recent finds! :D I discovered this cute light brown leather messenger bag at F21 which can work as either a casual or professional accessory. I loves it! :)

This post, Things for Adventures, was originally published on a little whimsy and is copyrighted to the author, Melissa Brugh.

Photo depicts all the progress so far! Box 20 is missing its color, but it is yellow. Orange means “Office/Storage” and yellow means “Living Room”. Once I get to the other rooms it will be green for the bedroom and pink for the kitchen (I think). The stickers are weird-shaped because I just made thin slices on sheets of small colored tabs. The boxes themselves have big colored labels with sharpied numbers written on them.

I had ordered 40 medium-size quality cardboard moving boxes and a 25lb ream of clean packing paper from Amazon to start with. I’m aware that I could have saved money by just bumming boxes from stores and buying cheap end rolls of paper from newspaper companies, but I wanted boxes of all the same size and clean paper to wrap my items in. Sometimes security (box stacking won’t be as precarious) and convenience (of not having to trek around gathering supplies) trump saving a few dollars. Also I was able to start packing RIGHT AWAY versus constantly having to try to find cheapo boxes everywhere.

My goal for each box is to have it be no more than 30-40lbs and everything packed well enough inside so NOTHING will move. Stuffing crumpled packing paper and/or plastic grocery bags (remind me to blog about how much I HATE those bags) in crevices keeps this from happening. Less movement means less opportunity for things to possibly get bumped, scratched, and broken! All my fragile items (frames, figurines, vases, etc) are first wrapped in bubble wrap (I also got a massive roll of that) and then a sheet of packing paper before going into the box. Oh yeah, the fragile stuff is also being packed into plastic totes versus the cardboard boxes for extra security.

You won’t believe how many bags of trash and donate/sell items I’ve created out of this process… roughly 12 huge bags of trash and 8 huge bags of donate and I’m hardly half-way through the house yet! This doesn’t even count the many things to donate/sell that can’t fit into bags (like baskets, containers, shelving, lamps, etc). It’s crazy. We also won’t be keeping any furniture but our couch, recliner, TV, entertainment center, 2 shelf units, 2 end tables, 2 lamps, a small kitchen table, and our bedroom TV. That’s it. The rest of it actually belongs to Chaz’s mom and we never planned on keeping that stuff anyway.

I haven’t moved since 2007 (when I graduated college in FL to move here to KY to be with Chaz) and oooomg that move was insane. I had hardly packed in advance and we were literally scrambling to find containers and boxes to fit all my stuff in. Previous to that I’d moved every two years or so with my family and we’d always done a mix of plastic totes and multi-sized boxes from various locations with no kind of organizational system whatsoever. This move will be different… less stress and I will know where everything is and not have it hanging over my head that something isn’t packed right!

Also how cool is my handwriting? If I made it a font I would call it “Lazy-Ass Cursive”. :D

This post, Packing Progress, was originally published on a little whimsy and is copyrighted to the author, Melissa Brugh.

Anyhoo so, if you happen to follow me on Twitter, you may have seen my announcement that I recently accepted an offer from Blizzard Entertainment to join one of their web teams as a Front End Engineer! :D I’m super excited about this opportunity and YES that means Chaz and I will be moving to the Southern California area!!

How did this all come about? Every so often I would peruse the Blizzard Careers section for openings related to web design & development. Blizzard has always been a company I’ve admired, ever since I first picked up Warcraft III years ago. Not only are their games amazingly made but their websites have also always followed the same level of quality and attention to detail. They are all about making the experience from game to website seamless and that standard has always impressed me!

So one day, back in February, I noticed there were a few openings for Web Front End Engineers across a few of their teams. I had recently redesigned my portfolio, so I went ahead and applied! Fast forward a couple weeks later and an email from a Blizzard recruiter pops up in my inbox: “The hiring manager has reviewed your portfolio and is interested in speaking. Would you like to set up a time?” UM YES. (Obviously my reply was more professional.) A phone interview was scheduled for the following week.

The phone interview went very well and I heard back two weeks later from the recruiter that they wanted to bring me out to their headquarters in Irvine, California for an in-person interview! This was my favorite part of the whole process. I flew out on the morning of April 14th (a Sunday) and arrived in Irvine in the mid-afternoon. After checking into my hotel, I drove to the Irvine Spectrum Center to chill out for an hour or two. Grabbed dinner at The Veggie Grill (delicious) and then walked around.

I had brought shorts and a tshirt to play tourist (since I was hoping Cali would be warm in April) and, even though it was only 55F I stubbornly wore them anyway. Someone actually stopped me at one point and exclaimed, “Aren’t you COLD?!” and I was like “Hell no, I am from Kentucky so this is balmy to me.”… but I eventually gave in and bought a sweater from the Old Navy at the center because I was in fact a bit chilly. :P

The day of the interview was AWESOME. I dressed sort of business-casually (Blizzard is a tshirt-casual company, but I still wanted to be pro) and headed to their campus. I didn’t take any photos while I was there (aside from one pic of the big orc statue) but there are several blog posts out there (like this one) that have galleries. But I will say that the interior of every building I visited (down to the elevators) were decked out in Blizzard art! Super cool.

The first part of the interview was a 1.5 hour skills test. Can’t divulge anything about it, but it was really fun to do and I enjoyed it. :D After that I got a mini-tour of several of the areas (museum, cafeteria, gym, offices, lounges, etc) from my recruiter before I was handed off to the manager I had spoken with on my phone previously. We ate lunch in the cafeteria and had an informal interview, which was then followed by two more group interviews with other members of the team. Everyone was friendly, easygoing, and passionate about what they did, which was really awesome.

By 4pm it was done! I was able to ask some final questions of my recruiter and then I went back to my hotel. Changed back into my shorts and tshirt (WHO CARES. THERE ARE PALM TREES HERE.) and drove the beautiful 10 minute drive to Laguna Beach! Had dinner at La Sirena Grill and then drove down the coastal roads until I found a public beach to park at. I didn’t end up going onto the sand (because ugh it really WAS cold at the time) but I watched the waves for a while and thought about how nice it would be to live close to something like this. :D I flew back to Kentucky the following day and I was reeeeeally sad to leave.

A week later, my recruiter called to tell me that I would be receiving an offer that week. :D I had to wait until everything was official before I finally made the announcement on that Friday. I start my new job on June 10th and I am SOOOOOOOOOOO EXCIIIIITED! My last day at my current job is May 31st and my best friend Jessica and I will be road tripping it to Cali the following week. We’re going to be following several roads along the iconic Route 66 and we are stopping at places like the World Largest Catsup bottle and other quirky things. :D

Chaz will be staying here in Kentucky for a few months to wind down at his job and finish packing everything up at the house. I hope to complete a LOT of the packing before I go so there won’t be much left to do and it will be smooth. I’ve already got one room done (the office) and I have a really crazy organization system going. Each box has a number with a colored sticker. The number is matched to a spreadsheet I’m making that lists the contents of the box so we know whats in it. The colored sticker depicts what room the box belongs in! I also have a sticker system for furniture and big items, but we’re only taking a few pieces with us. The rest will be donated or sold. This all feels like second nature to me because I moved tons of times throughout my military childhood. ;D

Reading back over this I realized that I made this whole thing sound like I breezed through it with no problem but I’ll be honest and say it was very agonizing! Waiting days to weeks to hear back about an opportunity that will literally change your life is not an easy thing to do. XD But I did it and it turned out AWESOME. I really can’t wait to see everyone again that I met in April, dive into projects, be challenged, and do other fun Blizzard stuff.

So there you go! I’m looking forward to what my future holds. :D

This post, New Job, New Beginnings!, was originally published on a little whimsy and is copyrighted to the author, Melissa Brugh.

Rubbed pork ready for grilling.

Grilled pork with tomato rice!

The original recipe declares it a “pork rub” but I’ve also used it on steak and chicken with equally amazing results. I also assume that this blend of spices would work nicely on firm tofu or seitan if you are a vegetarian or vegan, although I haven’t tried those combos yet.

Chaz was initially skeptical this because he used to swear by store-bought marinades. :P But he loves it! Which is great because it saves a lot of money to make your own rubs. I’d say we can get roughly 12-16 meals out of one jar. That plus it’s nice to know exactly what you’re putting on the meat, no funky chemicals or preservatives here! :D

Ingredients

• 2tbs kosher salt
• 2tbs ground coriander
• 6tbs ground cumin
• 4tbs hot chili powder
• 1tbs paprika
• 1½ tsp ground allspice
• 1½ tsp ground black pepper

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
2. To use, rub 1 tablespoon per serving onto the meat of your choice before grilling or cooking as desired. Store in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to use.

That’s it! I’ve found it fits perfectly inside an 8oz glass jar with a screw-top lid. I also make my own taco seasoning and another dry rub and have quite the collection of these cute glass jars filled with pretty spices. :D

This post, Cumin-Coriander Dry Rub, was originally published on a little whimsy and is copyrighted to the author, Melissa Brugh.

Let’s stay rather general about these goals so the perfectionist completionist in me doesn’t have a stress meltdown or any sad little parties where I finally give up on whatever lofty thing I had set out to do (I’m looking at you, 365 photo challenge). But then again, I do like challenges. Life would be hella boring if I never tried anything new and just stayed inside my comfort zone. Capable of chaotic greatness, remember?

So in no particular order:

• Read 55 books. Last year I met my goal of 50 and even surpassed it by a couple! So adding more to the count this time.
• Meditate daily. I got into this after my father passed away in 2010 and it really helped me, not only with the grief but also with life’s everyday dramas. I don’t remember when or why I tapered off the practice, but I’ve been meaning to start it again.
• Journal daily. Many times before I’ve tried writing often in regular journals (this blog can also count) and, it mostly inspired just a bunch of boring ramble about daily things and it became a pain to keep up with. So back in December I bought myself a 5 Year One-Line Journal which covers an entire year in short one-line blocks, five times over. What’s cool is that it makes me focus on a single memorable thing about that day I’d like to jot down, since that is all there is room for. So it’s great for reflection!
• Complete v3 of the Quilting Bee. I’ve been working on that, what, for over a year now? Lots of things have gotten prioritized ahead of this project but I really do want to get it finished for the sake of that awesome community!
• Buy a new house. Chaz and I have been meaning to start this process for quite a few years but I think we’ve just been too comfortable in our current house (or maybe just laaaaaazy.) We need a bigger place in a better location.
• Advance in my career. I am confident in my current skill set but in the web technologies field there is always something new to learn. So I want to dive into maybe some advanced education or new opportunities to stay right on the cutting edge.

That should do it. Nice and simple, nothing too fancy. And a rather short list, which makes it very doable… and hard to ignore. :P And also I will give myself a break if I slip up, because the point of making goals like these is to enhance life and not make it more stressful!

This post, Goals for 2013, was originally published on a little whimsy and is copyrighted to the author, Melissa Brugh.

I have been graced with the opportunity of cooking our Thanksgiving feast this year! It will be MAGNIFICANT, even though it is only for a small party. :P I have already made a list, a plan, and gathered my supplies using the help of my trusty Food Network Magazine Thanksgiving Handbook, YES. Here is what I will be whipping up:

1. A simple roast turkey, brined in a saltwater bath, then stuffed with carrots, onions, and herbs.
2. A zesty gravy, made from the drippings of the turkey.
3. Soul Sweet ‘Taters, a sweet potato casserole with a crunchy brown sugar topping.
4. Creamy parmesan “smashed” potatoes with fresh herbs & butter
5. Green beans in a savory walnut-parsley sauce
6. Pumpkin pie. Because YES.

The turkey will go into the brine tonight! Tomorrow I will bake the pie. Thursday the turkey will be stuffed and sent into the oven at my mother-in-law’s house for roasting. Meanwhile at my house, I will make the rest of the sides! Then we will all join together at the Turkey Location at 1500 hours to commence with Thanksgiving 2012. I like that this turned into a military procedure towards the end. Thanks, Mom & Dad!

I believe my mother-in-law is also making a cornbread stuffing. Please note that the veggies that will go into the bird aren’t for that. :P I’m also considering baking these amazing pumpkin parmesan biscuits also found in the Food Network magazine… that is if I have the time and oven space!

If anyone has any turkey roasting tips, please share! :D

This post, There Should Always Be Pie, was originally published on a little whimsy and is copyrighted to the author, Melissa Brugh.

So I was ecstatic to find this simple recipe that introduced me to quinoa, a truly versatile ingredient. It’s a hearty and nutritious grain, like rice, but it lends a different texture and can usually be cooked much faster than (non-instant) rice can. You can add tons of stuff to it and make an excellent side dish. :D Sweet or savory! Quinoa can usually be found near the rice in your grocery store.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 package sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 green onions, chopped

Directions

1. Cook quinoa according to directions, should only take 5-10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, cook until the garlic just begins to brown, about 1 minute. Depending on the type of pan you use it could take longer.
3. Add the red pepper, mushrooms, and corn. Continue cooking until the veg softens, about 5 minutes.
4. Season with cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper, and cook for 1 minute more.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the cooked quinoa and green onions. Serve hot or cold!

Usually I use whatever veggie I have on hand and it’s perfectly fine to use frozen veggies! If you use only frozen veg, I’d recommend thawing them a bit before adding in step 3. You can also add whatever complimentary spices you prefer. Once I ran out of cumin so I just subbed in curry powder and it was equally delicious. :D

Make sure you do not cook the green onions before mixing them with the rest of the dish, they are meant to be added fresh! Also if you want to try additional types of grain, I also recommend couscous as a similar ingredient to quinoa that works great with this recipe as well!

If we make this as a side to a meat, usually I will end up chopping up the meat and mixing it with the leftovers to make great lunches for the next day or two. Hope you enjoy the recipe! :D

This post, Savory Quinoa & Veggies, was originally published on a little whimsy and is copyrighted to the author, Melissa Brugh.

Anyhoo, today Chaz and I drove over to a local middle school to cast our votes before work. I was expecting huge lines and lots of buzz, like what I blogged about in 2004 but nope. There were five people there, including those who were running the process. The place was quite silent until the little old lady who was policing the sign-in book quietly asked us if we’d like to vote via paper ballot or by machine. Ooohlala, a choice!

We both chose machine and Chaz went first. One of the ladies at the table peered out the door behind us and then remarked, “Um, we have at least 500 people in our precinct right?” Another one said “Yep, they just need to show up.” It was only 8:15am, but I guess they hadn’t seen many people yet at all. I must live in a very tiny precinct of my city. :P

By then a few more people had appeared (yay!) and lined up behind me. They all got impatient and ended up voting via paper ballot instead of machine because Chaz was still taking his sweet time at the booth. ;D I waited because I was curious about the machine.

The machine itself was this little window that I mistakenly thought was a touch screen. So I stood there poking at it for a second until I saw this big dial underneath with some instruction text. I had to turn the dial to get to get it to scroll through each selection. Initially it was sort of awkward and I was like “gahhh no wonder this takes forever” until I saw I could pre-select all the candidates from a certain party. Saved a lot of time because after that all I had to do was swap out the few that I hadn’t meant to vote for… and done! :D

We got our stickers and headed out. All day long I’ve seen photos of stickers from other voters and was sad that mine was so simple compared to some of the big fancy ones. But oh well, it is the act that counts right? Yay for exercising my right to vote. :D

This post, Election 2012: Paper or Plastic?, was originally published on a little whimsy and is copyrighted to the author, Melissa Brugh.

Chili for those chilly days. ;D

The original recipe actually calls it taco soup, but the way I make it just feels more like how a thick and hearty chili ought to be and not a liquid soup. It’s so easy to make and you can definitely customize it to your level of spicy and savory flavors.

Ingredients

• 1lb ground turkey or beef (optional)
• 4 cans tri-bean blend (kidney, pinto, black)
• 2 cans diced tomatoes & chilies
• 4 cups frozen corn
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• 1 packet ranch dressing mix
• 1-2 cups water

Directions

1. Cook meat and then add it to the slow cooker.
2. Drain, rinse, then add the beans.
3. Add tomatoes (undrained), corn, seasoning packets, and water.
4. Stir it all up, then cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

The original recipe calls for two cans of corn, but since corn is one of Chaz’s favorite foods I always have several frozen bags on hand. ;) So I just add some additional water to make up for the lost liquid from the cans. Also I make my own taco seasoning (which I will blog about later!) but I left it as a pre-made packet in the recipe to keep it simple. If you can’t find any cans of tri-bean blend beans (three kinds of beans in one can) just substitute with whole cans of kidney or pinto.

You can garnish it with shredded cheese, sour cream, cornbread (my fave), crackers (Chaz’s fave), tortillas, anything really! The next time my office has a chili cook-off I am so entering this and I WILL WIN! ;D

This post, Slow Cooker Taco Chili, was originally published on a little whimsy and is copyrighted to the author, Melissa Brugh.

If you don’t have much knowledge of Oregon, you might be thinking “wtf is in Oregon?!” like I initially did when my sisters suggested it… and maybe considering how you’re going to ford all the rivers. ;) (Get it, get it? Harhar.) I was very glad to be proven wrong on my assumption, because I must say that Oregon is one of the most whimsical and beautiful places I have ever visited.

Portland, Oregon

Portland itself is just chock full of amazingly unique local shops and eateries! There are so many places JUST for coffee that we went to at least three (no lie) different places every day. I have learned that you do not know coffee until you have drank one brewed in Portland.

Barista, a coffee house aptly named.

Vanilla latte, anyone?

And not just your average cup of watery or sludgy joe. We’re talking creamy, frothy goodness always served in a huge mug with beautiful art designed right into the cream on top. :D It was really difficult to go back to drinking my normal morning coffee after experiencing this deliciousness.

Ok, maybe just one latte… or three.

Or maybe a caramel latte!

And even when you get it to go, instead of in the signature mug, they still make it pretty.

Heart Roasters, to go!

Let’s not forget the FOOD. We also frequented different restaurants every day, all locally owned and full of charm! Most were nestled right in the middle of neighborhoods or along the quaint city streets. Like this local pizzeria that had a huge line just waiting for it to open! But it was worth it.

Um yes. Definitely worth it.

There was no shortage of ethnic choices either, my favorite being Porque no? Taqueria which ALSO had a huge line out the door. But that was probably because it was happy hour and margaritas were half price! The tacos were amazing. Sorry for no food photo, I scarfed them down too fast!

Porque no? That is the most important question!

And oh em gee, the desserts. We found a little bakery that offered the most intricate confections.

ONE OF EACH PLEASE.

Also a shop that was JUST about chocolate. Like all the chocolate things were there, bars stacked floor to ceiling and of all shapes and sizes. There were even several types of drinkable chocolate you could sample! No, not the kind you heat up in the microwave with the foam-like marshmallows. My favorite was a spicy kind that almost left your mouth stinging, but it was oh so good.

Cannot… resist… the chocolate…

We also found HOMEMADE PIES! The strawberry rhubarb was killer.

I’d like that first pie. No not a slice… the whole thing plz.

And we weren’t allowed to leave Portland without sampling a Voodoo donut. It was about 86F outside, yet we stood in the blazing sun for almost 20 minutes just to get to the door!

People even want these at 2pm in the afternoon.

Once you got to that door on the corner, you still had to wait there outside until one of the cashiers called you to the counter from across the room. Only THEN could you make your order. This was apparently to keep mass donut-flinging chaos from happening. Although that doesn’t sound like such a bad thing!

And we have our box of noms!

If we ever go back, I really would like to try a Neapolitan, Grape Ape, and a few others that have rather questionable names I don’t want Google to index my site for. ;D From left to right: Butterfingering, Chocolate Coconut, Miami Vice Berry, Double Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Ring, and a jelly-filled one I don’t remember.

Wish we could have gotten a dozen!

There are several other places we went to that I didn’t have the space to mention! Check out the photos on my Foursquare to see them. The next part of my Portland series will showcase the beautiful scenery of Oregon, some cute shops we found, and my meetups with some interwebs friends! :D

This post, I Went to Portland (Part 1), was originally published on a little whimsy and is copyrighted to the author, Melissa Brugh.